Michelle Thornton first noticed something unusual in December 2023, but initially dismissed her concerns.
Just before Easter 2024, Ms Thornton finally visited the Mivo Park Medical Clinic in Cobram to be checked out for a mark on her arm.
A referral to another specialist confirmed the spot was melanoma, and Ms Thornton felt her world crumble.
“I was in a panic,” she said.
Her two doctors from Mivo Park Medical Clinic, Dr Thomas Wisa and Dr Don Yapa, advised immediate surgery. However, Ms Thornton, later admitting it was unwise, delayed due to travel plans to visit her son and new granddaughter.
On Wednesday, May 8, Dr Yapa conducted localised surgery in Mivo Clinic to remove the melanoma.
Ms Thornton said the surgery couldn’t have gone better, and having her daughter present during the melanoma removal made the experience more bearable.
“He (Dr Yapa) did an excellent job,” she said.
“According to a surgeon at the Peter Mac, Dr Yapa cut the margins very well. He must have really looked at it. He's got a brilliant eye, and he's left me with a scar that is not ugly.”
Ms Thornton described the removal of the cancer as her second birth and expressed her eternal gratitude to her doctors.
“They saved my life,” she said.
Ms Thornton said her brush with death was a learning experience and urged everyone, especially young people, to protect themselves from the sun by using sunscreen and covering up.
As for a message to her doctors, Ms Thornton had this to say.
“Thank you for giving me my life,” she said.
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